Wire-stretcher



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT S. MILLER, OF SLATE, INDIANA.

WIRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,168, dated March 8, 1887.

Application filed. November 25, 1885. Serial No. 183,919. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT S. MILLER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Slate, in the county of Jennings and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVire-Stretchers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invent-ion relates to certain new and useful improvements in implements for stretching and building wire fences; and it consists in the employment of a clamping device which is adapted to be secured to the post so as to hold the wire while being stretched; and my invention consists in the construction and combination of the parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a side view of awire fence which illustrates the manner of using my improved wire-clamp. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the clamps which are adapted to be used upon the fence-posts. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a combined lever, wire-cutter, and staple-puller which is adapted to be used in connection with my improved wire-clamp.

A represents the fencepost of an ordinarilyconstructedwire fence, between which the wires are stretched and secured thereto by means of staples.

B refers to my improved reversible clamp, which consists, essentially, of' a central connecting-bar, O, which is provided with an offset or raised portion, a, the end of which is curved, as shown at a. Immediately under this offset a is pivotally attached to the bar 0 a lever, B, said lever having its end I) curved and serrated, while the opposite end is bent outwardly from the bar 0 and formed into a handle.

The bar 0 has pivotall y attached thereto bent bars D D, one of the ends of said bars, U

being enlarged and provided with an opening which is screw-threaded, through which openingpassesathumb-screwgl]. Theoppositeends of said bars D are bent inwardly toward the thumbscrew, as shown at (Z, said ends being pointed so that they will enter the sides of the posts. This attachment, it will be observed, can be reversed, so as to be secured on either side of the fence-post, which is accomplished by attaching the parts D D pivotally to the bar 0. The lever, which is pivoted to the bar 0, can swing to either side of the center, so that it can clamp a wire, the strain upon which may be to either side of the clamp. It will be noticed that the bar 0 is located near one end of the bent bars D, so that itwill be adjacent to the corner or edge of the post, thus allowing the central portion of the post to be exposed, so that the staple can be-driven into the post to secure the wire thereon.

F refers to a compound lever, which is made up of the parts f f, which are pivotal] y connected to each other by a bolt, 9. The end 9 of the member f is bent at right angles, and bifurcated so as to form a claw, which can be advantageously used for withdrawing staples from the posts, andthe opposite end of this member is curved, as shown at It. The memberf of the lever, at one side of the same, between the bolt 9 and its end h, is provided with an opening, 2', through which awire may be passed, said wire contacting with the recess i in the opposite member, so that when the parts of the lever are brought on a line with each other the wire will be cut. The member f of the lever is bent outwardly or curved at its upper end, and again bent at right angles, so as to form a projecting portion, 70, which serves as a stop, which will prevent excessive movement of the parts upon each other. The lower end of the member f is spread, so as to form laterally-projecting portions k, the terminal portions of which are bent almost at right angles and formed into points, so that they can enter the fence-post. The intermediate portion of the member f is of increased thickness, so as to form an offset, K, the upper surface of which is curved, as shown at h,

In constructing a fence with my improved device the clamp B is secured to one of the posts of the fence and another clamp on the post adjacent thereto, said clamps being in a line with each other, and the wire to be tightened is placed between the jaws, as shown. Thejaw of the lever is then placed over the wire, said lever being in an almost vertical position, its end bearing upon the post, so that when its upper end is drawn away from the post the wire will be clamped in thejaws and stretched between the posts, and said wire will be held by the jaws of the clamps, and may be secured to the posts by the staples.

I claim 1. The clamp B, consisting of the bent bars D D, having thumb-screws, and a connecting bar, 0, pivotally attached to said bent bars ALBERT s. MILLER.

Vitnesses:

MARTIN L. Ronnvson, Eensrus O. LEWIS. 

